


Illuminate

by dragon_temeraire



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Acapella Quartet, Alternate Universe - Never Met, College Student Derek, Derek Hale & Erica Reyes Friendship, Fluff, M/M, Minor Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes, Singer Stiles Stilinski, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 10:22:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10807170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragon_temeraire/pseuds/dragon_temeraire
Summary: Erica convinces Derek to go to an acapella performance with her. Things go better than he could have ever expected.





	Illuminate

**Author's Note:**

> I went and saw an acapella performance last weekend, and it inspired me to write a little fic! And I’ve been wanting to write singer!Stiles for a while, so it worked out well.

“Come on, Derek. Please?” Erica says pleadingly, wrapping her hands around his bicep and squeezing. She leans her head against his shoulder for good measure, looking up at him sadly. “I know you’re working on being a hermit, but please come out with me to this _one little thing_.”

This method works pretty much every time, and Derek sighs. “Why don’t you get one of your other friends to go with you?” he asks. Erica is far more of a social butterfly than he is, he knows she has more friends than the two he’s managed to make.

“They’re not into acapella vocal performances,” Erica says.

“And what makes you think that _I_ am?” Derek asks, eyebrow quirked.

“I know you like to sing,” she says, elbowing him playfully. “And I know you have a good ear for music. I’ve seen your record collection.”

Derek would kind of like to contest all of that, just for the sake of argument. But he’s honestly intrigued, because _Erica_ doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would be into acapella performances. “Okay, fine,” he says. “I’ll go.”

“Yes!” Erica says, beaming up at him. “But you better hurry, we have to leave in twenty minutes. I want to get good seats!”

“You couldn’t have given me more of a heads-up?” Derek asks, though he doesn’t really mind. “I need to change clothes.” Because even if this is a casual thing, he still doesn’t want to show up wearing sweat pants and a shirt with a hole in it.

“You wasted too much time trying to turn me down!” Erica calls after him as he climbs up the stairs to his bedroom. “This wouldn’t happen if you just said yes to your friends!”

Derek can’t help laughing, and shakes his head at himself in the mirror.

 

*

 

Derek drives, of course, and Erica directs him to an old building on a mostly abandoned street. “I can see why you didn’t want to come here alone,” he says, looking around dubiously as he parks.

“Oh, hush,” Erica says. “They can’t afford nice venues, okay?”

Derek pauses halfway to pushing his door open. “Wait a minute. How do you know that? Have you been to their performances before?”

“Maybe,” Erica says with a sly grin, climbing out of the Camaro.

Which means she’s been to more than she wants to admit, Derek thinks, smirking.

As they walk up, he sees a tattered poster taped to the side of the building. It says:

 

_Vocal Acapella Quartet_

_Illuminate_

_Performing Fri, Sat and Sun!_

_Free_

_(donations gladly accepted)_

 

Derek stares at it for a moment, wondering why Erica would come to see something like this _more than once_. He pushes open the door, and is surprised to find the reception area is filled with people milling around, talking and laughing together. He notices that many are waiting in line in front of a rickety card table, where they’re buying snacks and drinks.

“Wow, we really did need to get here early,” he mutters, and Erica shoots him an amused look. He gestures toward the back, where he assumes the double doors lead to the performance area. “Why don’t you get us some seats, I’m gonna buy some cookies.”

“You’re not going need food to get through this, I promise,” Erica says, laughing. “But get me some, too.”

“Of course,” Derek says, because he was already planning on it. Erica likes to pretend she’s not as big of a sweet tooth as Derek is, but he knows the truth.

A girl in a fox-eared hat is running the concessions very efficiently, and it’s not long before Derek’s buying his packages of M&M cookies and two tiny cups of fruit punch. “Thank you,” he says, and the girl gives him a bright, beaming smile. It somehow makes him feel less out of place, and he goes to find Erica with a little smile of his own.

Her long blond hair is easy to spot, and Derek is pleased to see that she got seats near the front, despite the crowd. “Thanks,” she says when he hands over her punch and cookies. She sneaks a look at her phone. “They should be starting soon.”

Derek wants to ask questions, like how Erica found out about Illuminate, and why she was so excited to show up to a crappy auditorium, but he’s too busy eating his cookies. They’re very good, and they deserve to be savored.

When Derek had seen the phrase “acapella quartet” on that poster, he’d imagined four middle-aged guys with nothing better to do in their free time. That…is not who walks out.

He takes the last gulp of his punch out of surprise, trying to get a good look as the stage lights suddenly dim.

“Hi, everybody,” one of them says out of the darkness. “We’re Illuminate, and we’ll be performing a variety of songs from different genres for you tonight. We hope you’ll enjoy it, and thanks for coming out!”

There’s a quiet shuffle on stage, and someone blows on a pitch pipe. In the absolute silence of the auditorium, it seems loud. Then they start to sing, and the opening notes are so thrillingly beautiful, it actually takes Derek a minute to realize they’re singing Fat Bottom Girls. The lights slowly come back up as they crest the high notes, and the effect just heightens Derek’s interest.

The chords are so clean and crisp, so perfectly blended, it almost sounds like just one person singing with an incredibly resonant voice. They sing Marry You and then something by Josh Groban, and Derek is _mesmerized_. He finds himself sitting up straight, upper body leaning toward the stage when he’s feeling particularly overwhelmed by the vocal harmony.

Every time one of the guys has a solo, Derek finds himself raptly attentive, enjoying the unique differences in each of their voices. They’re incredibly good, and Derek finds he’s already thinking about coming back tomorrow night.

“Isn’t Boyd hot?” Erica whispers in a very brief lull between songs.

“Yes,” Derek agrees. He has no idea which one Boyd is, but all of the guys on stage are good-looking, so it’s not a lie.

In fact, one of them, with fluffy golden hair and high cheekbones, actually looks like he could be a male model. Though Derek finds his attention keeps returning to the guy in the middle, who’s lanky and freckled and has a very lovely tenor.

They finish up Bohemian Rhapsody, then grin and wave at the crowd. “Hey, it’s time for a short musical intermission, which will be played for you by the talented Allison Argent!” Male Model says.

He watches as they help a pretty, dark-haired girl roll a piano onto the stage. She gives them all a bright smile, then begins to play something pleasantly lilting.

“Well?” Erica whispers, leaning in close. “What do you think so far?”

“It’s amazing,” Derek says quietly. He wants to say more, but he’s mindful of the crowd around them trying to listen to Allison’s music.

Erica grins at him and squeezes his shoulder, looking delighted. She’s going to be smug about this for ages, but he really doesn’t mind.

Allison plays a couple more songs as the quartet disappears backstage to take a break, probably getting drinks of water and resting their voices. And as much as he enjoys the piano, Derek finds he’s very eager for the guys to come back.

When intermission is over, they help Allison move the piano back offstage. Derek takes a moment to appreciate how nicely all of them are dressed, in fitted slacks with button down shirts tucked in. And if Derek’s eyes stray to Freckle Guy’s ass a couple of times, well, nobody has to know.

Soon they’re all back at the front of the stage again, singing She’s Not There, and it sounds surprisingly good as a quartet.

“We took this audience suggestion from our previous performance,” a guy with a very sunny smile says. “So you’ll be hearing it for the first time tonight.”

Derek is really beginning to wish he knew these guys’ names.

They do Don’t Stop Me Now, and Derek decides that, audience suggestion or not, at least one of them must be very fond of Queen. Then they sing a few more songs that Derek would have never expected to sound good acapella, and finish with The Scientist. The high notes sound so clear and sweet they actually give Derek chills.

He applauds loudly as they all bow, and then break into grins as they wave to the crowd. He’s watching with interest as they walk away, but then Erica is grabbing his arm and saying, “Come on, hurry.”

Derek doesn’t even try to ask, just lets Erica tow him back out to the entry area. But it’s just full of people, like it was before the show, though it looks like even more are buying cookies. “So what was the rush?” he says curiously.

“That,” Erica says, tilting her head.

Across the room, the quartet emerges from a side door, smiling and laughing. They stop in the middle of the room, and people immediately start approaching, shaking their hands and giving what Derek assumes are compliments.

“I’ve been trying to work up the courage to talk to Boyd,” Erica says, briefly leaning against his shoulder. “Do you think I should go for it?”

“Definitely,” Derek says encouragingly. “Start with something easy. Just tell him how much you liked his singing.”

“Okay,” Erica says, squaring her shoulders and nodding to Derek. “I’m gonna do it.”

Derek watches her walk away, and is relieved to see her approaching Muscular Baritone instead of Freckle Guy. And actually, he doesn’t even _see_ Freckle Guy—

“I guess we have our answer,” says someone near his shoulder, and it’s _him_. “She’s been coming to a lot of our performances, and we were wondering if it was because she was into one of us,” he explains. “I’m guessing you’re not her boyfriend?”

“No, I’m not,” Derek says, unwilling to say more for fear of making a fool of himself. This guy is somehow _even more_ attractive up close, and Derek feels very awkward.

“Okay, good,” Freckle Guy says cheerfully. “Boyd thought you might be, and he was very disappointed when you showed up. I, however, was not disappointed _at all_ ,” he adds, giving Derek a bright, almost flirtatious smile.

Derek just blinks at him, wishing he had better social skills.

Thankfully, Freckle Guy doesn’t seem too deterred. “I’m Stiles, by the way,” he says, and Derek can’t help grinning, because of course this guy has an interesting name.

“I’m Derek,” he says in return. And he really, _really_ doesn’t want Stiles to walk away, so before the silence stretches too long, he blurts, “I was thinking of coming to your performance tomorrow, too.”

“Really?” Stiles asks eagerly. “You liked it that much?”

“You guys were incredible,” Derek says honestly. “And I, uh. I might want to see you again.”

Stiles noticeably perks up at that. “I tell you what,” he says, leaning in. “If you come to tomorrow’s performance, I’ll take you to dinner afterward.”

Derek is so shocked that this is actually going in his favor, he just stares for a moment.

“Or late-night breakfast, or ice cream, or coffee,” Stiles says hurriedly, obviously thinking he’s lost Derek. “Whatever you want to eat.”

“Dinner sounds good,” Derek says with a smile.

“Then it’s a date!” Stile says excitedly. He glances away for a moment, then says, “Hey, it looks like our friends are hitting it off, too.”

When Derek looks over, he sees Erica standing close to Boyd, her hand on his arm as she smiles up at him. He doesn’t know Boyd, but Derek thinks he looks quite happy to be right where he is.

It’s the way Derek feels, too.

He and Stiles talk for another few minutes, before something catches his eye. “Oh, shoot, I gotta go help Kira count the concession money.” He reaches out and lightly squeezes Derek’s bicep. “But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah,” Derek says, smiling. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Stiles beams. “Me too!” he says, then hurries across the room to the girl in the fox hat. He gives Derek one last wave, then they disappear through the side door.

Derek just stands there for a moment, feeling warm and light, a smile still curling the corners of his lips. He already can’t wait to see Stiles again.

Erica bounces over a few minutes later and grins up at him. “I got a date for tomorrow night!” she says excitedly.

And Derek really, really enjoys her expression of surprise when he gives an answering grin and says, “I did, too.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come by and prompt me/talk to me [ on tumblr](http://dragon-temeraire.tumblr.com/).


End file.
